After documents leak, US says Pak alliance important

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Stung by a stunning leak of classified records indicating links between the ISI and the Taliban-al Qaeda network, the White House came out in defense of Pakistan, insisting that the US-Pak alliance has led to significant blows against al Qaeda leadership since 2009."Since 2009, the United States and Pakistan have deepened our important bilateral partnership. Counter- terrorism cooperation has led to significant blows against al Qaeda's leadership," National Security Advisor, Gen (rtd) James Jones, said in a statement.The statement, however, added that the Pakistani establishment, including military and the intelligence agency, need to continue their "strategic shift" against insurgents.Many of the documents posted by whistleblower Wikileaks strongly suggest that Pakistan's ISI may be helping Afghan insurgents plan and carry out attacks on US forces in Afghanistan and their Afghan government allies.Incidentally, the report releases documents of the period when General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, the current Pakistan Army Chief, was head of the ISI from 2004 to 2007.Well aware that such an important document might have an adverse impact on its relationship with Pakistan in particular the Pakistan Army, the White House lauded Pakistan's military establishment for its anti-Taliban drive."The Pakistani military has gone on the offensive in Swat and South Waziristan, at great cost to the Pakistani military and people."The United States and Pakistan have also commenced a Strategic Dialogue, which has expanded cooperation on issues ranging from security to economic development," Jones said.He also pointed out that Pakistan and Afghanistan have improved their bilateral ties, most recently through the completion of a Transit-Trade Agreement. "Yet the Pakistani government and Pakistan's military and intelligence services must continue their strategic shift against insurgent groups... The balance must shift decisively against al Qaeda and its extremist allies," he said.Jones said US support for Pakistan will continue to be focused on building Pakistani capacity to root out violent extremist groups, while supporting the aspirations of the Pakistani people.He pointed out that the documents posted by Wikileaks reportedly cover a period of time from January 2004 to December 2009."On December 1, 2009, President Obama announced a new strategy with a substantial increase in resources forAfghanistan, and increased focus on al Qaeda and Taliban safe-havens in Pakistan, precisely because of the grave situation that had developed over several years," he said.

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